The third episode of the sixth season and, to put it mildly, I have been underwhelmed.

I did have fun watching the three boys together again; I’ve missed it. What was really well done was the power shift. When Beckett was at the precinct, she had some authority over Esposito and Ryan. As her partner, Castle was able to get a way with a lot more. Now that she is gone, however, the boys are able to decide whether or not to include him in anything. They are obviously relishing the fact and the resulting teasing was fun to watch.

The case itself, on the other hand, was simply ridiculous. A washed-up actor working for the CIA and spying on the Russians is groan worthy. Obviously, the writers needed an excuse to get Beckett back to New York and this is the best they could come up with. Even worse, I knew who the killer was the second he appeared on our screen. Yes, there was meant to be a misdirect in the dialogue he was spouting, but it was too obvious.

Throughout the case, we watched Beckett struggle with what she believed was right. It is not the first time we have seen her step far outside the line, but it is the first time the consequences have been so severe and so timely.

I do feel, however, that Beckett’s being fired is another cop-out on the part of the writers. By taking the decision from her hands, the writers nimbly sidestep two potential minefields. The first is her decision to stay in DC, but that would never happen as the show is not going to be re-tooled to such a degree. The second is that she would give up her dream job for her man. Women viewers, this one especially, would (I can only hope) rise up in protest at that story line. This way, Beckett gets to come back to New York and not have to make the decision to do so.

Not that she would have had to as Castle finally came to his senses and realized that he could live in DC. And, here I thought he was the clever one.

Speaking of clever, at the beginning of the series, I was a huge fan of the Alexis character. She brought out a side of Castle that endeared him to me and I thought she grounded him in a way that a playboy living on his own wouldn’t have had. But now, it’s time for her to grow up and leave the nest.

This storyline with Pi and the two of them living in Castle’s loft has passed the point of absurdity. Why isn’t Alexis back at school and why is she living at her father’s house with her boyfriend? Dinosaurs walked the streets when I was nineteen, but I can tell you that my boyfriend at the time and I did everything we could not to stay at his parents’ house or my parents’ house for one simple reason -- one of us was always meant to be on the couch. It was a request/rule more honor’d in the breach than the observance. My guess is that not a lot has changed in the intervening decades.

Another disappointing episode. The DC arc did not work for me and its resolution felt forced. This episode had some fun moments, but not enough. Two out of four kelp smoothies.

Tidbits:

-- I am a huge fan of Perlmutter’s. His snark and his complete lack of anything approaching respect for Castle is a breath of fresh air. Although, I’m beginning to wonder where Lanie is.

-- Castle’s buying the espresso machine for the precinct goes back to the first season. Interestingly, he was trying to get in with Esposito and Ryan then as well.

-- I’d love to know how much of what we hear about behind the scenes on the movie set are inside jokes. Some of them felt a bit real.

-- The Nikki Heat movie went straight to DVD. No wonder we never heard about it again after the LA trip.

Soundbites:

Perlmutter: “Mr. Castle, you’re back. But, not by popular demand.”

Ryan: “Dewey is to Russia what David Hasselhoff is to Germany.”

Castle: “Guys, this is my fiancée. OK? What does it say about our future if I keep pushing the boundaries?”
Ryan: “Castle, your whole relationship is built on a foundation of your boundary pushing.”
Castle: “Good point.”

Beckett: “Castle, you’re not gonna Castle me on this one.”

ChrisB is a freelance writer who spends more time than she ought in front of a television screen or with a book in her hand.

5 comments:

See, I liked this one. It wasn't great, but it's what I expect from Castle. Silly, fun crime solving

You're right, the end to the DC arc was a TOTAL cop-out. It was a stupid thing to do in the first place. Obviously, Beckett wasn't going to stay in DC when the show is in New York. Every single member of the audience knew this. Why even have her leave in the first place (except to create a cliffhanger for the hiatus). It was annoying and obvious. At least it's over now and we can return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Darn! Lost my comment. Well it wasn't that insightful. Basically I agree with you on most points, ChrisB. I never bought in to the notion that this D.C. gig was Beckett's dream job. For me she came off as someone who was uncertain in her relationship, so she latched on to the job as a possible solution to her discomfort. I guess I might have liked to see her make the choice to go back to NY for whatever reason. Either her discomfort with the compromises the job demanded or because she missed working at the NYPD with Castle.

Basically, I'm kind of meh on this season too. Nathan Fillion will keep me watching, at least for now.

I totally agree with your rating. Now, where can we write the studio to get rid of that obnoxious boyfriend!!! That jerk has to go. Plus "my" Alexis has much better sense than to hook up with that looser. Lose the loser and that lame plot. Please.

The curse of the well known actor strikes again. You don't really think Antonio Sabato Jr guest starred for a brief cameo, did you? Of course it was him. And I get that this fake TV show was suppose to be a rip off of Saved By the Bell, but they winked at us way too much for my taste. It was overly absurd.

I hate to say it, but Castle may very well be taken off my very busy DVR. I've watched from the very beginning but it's getting really absurd now. I think it may have passed its expiration date.